China's quake-hit region recovers amid challenges

No ceremony was held to mark the one year anniversary of a 6.5-magnitude quake that killed 617 people and injured another 3,143 on on Aug. 3 last year in Ludian County, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Instead, local residents went about their daily chores of picking peppers, the local specialty, on the hillside. Reconstruction sites in Longtoushan Township, the epicenter of the quake, roared as heavy machines worked to rebuild what was lost.

"We don't want to hold any ceremonies to remind people of their sadness," said Li Shanyun, Party secretary of the township government. The earthquake killed 556 people and injured 1,500 in the town.

"Speeding up reconstruction is the best commemoration of the dead," he said.

Xie Weili spent the day sitting outside the front of his tent watching his new home being built.

The 64-year-old man lost his two daughters and four grandsons. They were killed while farming in the hills.

Xie was the only survivor after a rolling stone hit them. He couldn't resist the urge to look over the photos of his loved ones so he put the albums in a closet.

"They are gone and I can not bring them back," said Xie, who spends many of his days wandering in the community and playing Mahjong, a popular Chinese game.

"It's of no use being sad every day," he said.

The biggest joy for him is the 120-square-meter new house, which is equipped with a bathroom as well as a storage room will be completed before Oct. 1.

Xie spent more than 120,000 yuan (19,608 U.S. dollars) on the new house, of which 50,000 yuan was a government subsidy and the rest was donated.

"I have some pepper crops to support myself and live a good later life for myself," he said.

Xie is a perfect example of the town's population, who are walking away from their tragic past to begin a new life.

According to government plans, Yunnan will invest 27.46 billion yuan on 3,195 reconstruction projects. Residential reconstruction will be completed by the end of this year and public infrastructure reconstruction will be finished by the end of next year.

Housing consolidation has been completed and more than 98 percent of the collapsed houses are being built, said Zhang Yan, head of the Ludian County government.

A brand new Longquan Middle School, where the quake rescue headquarters was based last year, is expected to be completed before Aug. 20 and ready for the new semester that begins on Sept. 1.

The five-story compound is made of steel and is able to resist major earthquakes, said Yang Ping, an engineer at the site.

More than half of the 264 quake-affected schools in Zhaotong City, which administers Ludian County, have begun reconstruction with an accumulated investment of 398 million yuan.

CHALLENGES REMAIN

With regular seismic activity, complex topography and frequent rainstorms, the region is prone to the worst of nature. A majority of the farmers living in Ludian survive on less than one dollar per day.

Most of these areas exist in a vicious cycle, where poverty has lowered their capacity to endure and prevent natural disasters and the destruction brought on by the disasters further worsens the economic situation.

Prior to the earthquake, there was optimism among the area's local farmers as plans to plant peppers, pecans and apples in the barely arable mountain region was proving successful.

The earthquake destroyed them all.

Tao Yonghong, a villager from Lijiashan Village, lost more than 40,000 chickens in the earthquake. Only one survived, earning it the nickname "Strong Chicken".

Tao spent all his money and borrowed a lot to build nine rooms and a chicken farm before the quake. All of them were flooded by a barrier lake.

Tao returned to his house after the flood receded and opened a shop to support his family. He is expected to move to his new house in the seat of the town by the end of this year.

"My first 40 years has been buried in water and I have to create a new life for the rest of my life by myself," he said.

The Zhaotong municipal government promised to complete the reconstruction within three years and to ensure the living conditions and economic development will be fully restored and surpass the pre-quake level.

"When the reconstruction is completed, the residents will get out of poverty," said Zhang Jihua, mayor of Zhaotong City.

A pepper trading market has been built at a resettlement at Guangming Village and another resettlement at Shaba Village will be developed into a tourism attraction with rural home inns, according to Li Shanyun.

The former Longtoushan township government, which is still in ruins, will be built into an earthquake memorial park.

Looking at the ruins, Tang Zhengyun, who lost eight family members in the quake, burst into tears.

"If we survivors cannot rebuild a good homeland, how can we honor the deceased?" said Tang.